Fractures are generally analyzed and interpreted along one-dimensional (scan lines) or two-dimensional (surfaces, planes, etc.) formation outcrops, image logs, seismic data, etc. to determine fracture population characteristics. These properties are then statistically described and used in fracture interpretation and modeling.
Such methods are suitable in a variety of applications; however, they may be limited as applied to three-dimensional analysis. For example, these methods may be limited due to sampling bias, whereby a three-dimensional model of an area, constructed using data about a small portion of the area, may be distorted by the small portion containing characteristics that are not representative of the surrounding areas. However, some seismic attributes are analyzed volumetrically, not as discrete planes or networks. This can make quality control, multiscale integration, and geologic characterization challenging.